Well, after about 5 hours of work yesterday and 13 or so today, I have finished. I installed 3 4.5" JBL/Vifa midbasses in each door is custom pods, moved all my amps/cap/crossover and rewired them, and set up the active crossover I got to go full active.

Initial impressions: WHY THE HELL DID I WAIT SO LONG TO ADD SOME MIDBASS!!! I can't believe how much more impact and warmth it adds to the sound. I ended up turning my subs completely off just to hear and feel the difference they made(also because I didn't want to wake the neighborhood ). I really had no idea how much I was missing.

Previously I had Boston Acoustics 746 plates crossed over pretty high to keep from blowing them mixing with 2 JBL Gt1281 subs in a 5.6 cube ported box...the hole in the midbass was apparently huge but it took me forever to notice. Now with the 6 midbasses it sounds like a completely different system! The detail is much better on voices/pianos/guitars, and with the subs turned on, the bass sounds like it is coming from the front of the car for the first time ever.

I will post pics once I find my camera, since my brother used it and "forgot" where he put it.

System right now:
Profile BY600 - @ 2 ohms per channel - 225 watts rms to each pod of 3 midbasses (80-300 hz)
Profile BY400 - @ 4 ohms per channel - 100 watts rms to each BA 746 plate(300-20k hz)
Profile 600sx - @ 4 ohms bridged - 450 watts rms to 2 JBL Gt1281 subs in a 5.6 cube ported box tuned to ~30 hz (0-80 hz)
Profile CX400 4-way crossover splitting up the signal
1 farad cap with 2 gauge wiring for everything
14 gauge speaker wire/10 gauge sub wire
Jensen Intellicar headunit (just a pre-amp...works surprisingly well but it's next to go)

The sub box is bolted to the trunk and sealed all the way around so that the trunk is completely sealed off from the cabin. The pods in the doors are IB, with the back of the pod open to the inside of the door(now I have a few little rattles to find). The 746 plates are IB on the dash.

Basically I am completely impressed with these little $7 a piece JBL/Vifa mibasses(on sale from 25 bucks each). I just can't believe how much different and better it sounds!

Total system cost as of right now is just under 700 bucks, and I have to say I have yet to hear a better stereo for that price.

Pics will be up as soon as possible once I find the camera.

 

Hrmm friend of mine built a 1,000 watt system in an escort before
But I think it cost more on the order of $5,000
Have prices changed that much or did you just get bargin stuff?
Do you run a 2nd battery?
Do you have fans on the amps? He used to fry amps left and right.
Not to mention shatter his windows.

 

For some reason I really doubt he shattered his windows...even in SPL competitions with stock windshields people don't blow them out at 160-170 dbs.

I got awesome deals on everything I bought...retail on all my stuff is around $1500 or so. I don't have any fans on the amps becuase they are not being clipped at all. They have never shut off from overheating except once the sub amp shut off after 5 hours on non-stop full blast during the summer in a traffic jam.


[Modified by TheWacoKid, 1:37 AM 6/11/2004]

 

Actually the windows don't shatter right away.
They did however get fatigued from the SPL and would shatter at odd times.
I think he went thru like 5 windows, the sides and the hatch, never the front because it's much more reenforced.

What size fuse ya run?
He used to run a 50 amp and one time he had a problem and we went to check it at the battery.
He opened the holder and litterly poured the fuse out, was kinda funny.

His amps would overheat alot in the hot summer months, you might want to consider fan supplements.
He was good with electronics and often times I'd be over at his house and he'd be replacing 20 some transistors in the amp

I think he ran passive crossovers, is there an advantage to the active ones?

 

There are a few things in that post that lead me to not believe you for some reason.

Fuses don't melt.
Windows don't blow from 1000 watt stereos.

 

 

Found the camera...I wish I had some in-progress pics of it...but anyway, here they are:





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I apologize for the mess...I haven't cleaned my car in a little while. :p


[Modified by TheWacoKid, 1:35 PM 6/11/2004]

 

I love the high tech trunk holder !!!!

 

I removed the springs that lift the trunk so I could gain 3 inches of trunkspace by moving the sub box forward. I didn't realize at the time with all the deadener on it plus the weight of the trunk itself that it will take off your arm/leg/neck or whatever if you drop it. It probably weighs at least 75 pounds.

 

nice

 

WTF?
I have no reason to lie about it, geez

 

I don't know why you would lie(or your friend lied to you), but those two things simply don't happen. I could understand if a window was already cracked that you could make the crack bigger, but windows do not blow from 1000 watts...and fuses don't melt(that would defy the whole purpose of a fuse).

 

http://www.bcae1.com/fuses.htm
Read section on poor quality AGU fuses.
When I say the fuse melted I am referring to exactly what they are, the solder that holds the metal strip in place.
Technically the "fuse" didn't melt, but for practical discussions I say the fuse melted.

I'll have to ask him why we concluded the windows shattered from fatigue, it was years ago. I'm thinking it was that we had ruled out all other reasons and as silly as it seemed the stereo was the remaining reason.

Does 1000 watts translate directly to a specific SPL or is that based on how well the car is sealed? I know his whole car vibrated like mad when he cranked it.

 

There is that really ugly Corvette again
The truck need more TLC but those doors look AWESOME. GREAT JOB

About fuses and windows. Fuses are there to blow in the case of a short. If you did not have a fuse, a short would cause massive current flow and heat up that wire like a stove top burner. Can you say... FIRE?
In the case of a short a fuse will flash, the internal metal will melt o'so quickly it will appear as a spark. I have seen on my own car (not the vette) a fuse slowly melt. The fuse didn't liquidfy but slowly got bent more and more intill she finally gave up the ghost. I believe this senerio was because the set up had too small of pwr wire and the draw on the amps slightly exceeded the fuse rating of 60 amps.

Okay, windows. To blow out windows takes some serious pwr. I serioulsy doubt 1K wattage would do that. My red Talon has two 18" subs in it and I have not lost a window yet (just my hearing :p: ) The guys who are the major hitters in SPL use very thick plexiglass for windows because 170 db will brake windows. They also get away from the loose of window movement because of the way glass windows are attached to the car. Still, these major hitters are running 10K plus in wattage. You would not want to be in one of those vehicles when it is sealed-up, it could kill you. Seriously

 

Okay...I stand corrected on the fuse issue. Why were you using AGU fuses though?

I still am doubtful about the windows. Maybe if it was an extremely cold/hot day, and the window already had a crack in it might have blown out, but like knewblewcorvette said, it takes thousands of watts and 170+ dbs to blow out even stock windows. I doubt that your friends system got much over 140-145, which is nowhere near what is needed to blow windows that are in good condition.